US President Joe Biden spent a peaceful Saturday at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, celebrating his 79th birthday - and setting a new milestone as the nation's oldest president.
However, according to this week's polls, half of all registered voters are worried about Biden's physical and mental health, while speculation that he will not ultimately seek re-election, even if he intends to, is growing.
"I find it implausible that at the age of 82 the Democrats would nominate him for a second term", Republican strategist Karl Rove is quoted in a New York Post report as saying. "Particularly given where he is as he nears the end of his first year in office".
According to one poll, only 40% of individuals agreed with the premise that Biden is "in good health", while 50% disagreed with that assumption.
The president received a poor score when it came to his mental health. When asked if Biden is "mentally fit", respondents were virtually evenly split: 46% believe he is, while 48% disagree.
These figures become even more interesting given that Biden, who underwent a routine colonoscopy on Friday, assured reporters on his return from the hospital that he was in "great shape" and was looking forward to his 58th birthday.
"When you watch Biden, you get a sense that he's just missing a beat, that he's not what he once was", GOP pollster Neil Newhouse is quoted in a Politico report regarding the poll findings as saying. "Voters are picking up on it".
When Biden took the oath in January, he was two months past his 78th birthday, shattering the mark set by Ronald Reagan, who was 77 years and 349 days old when George H.W. Bush succeeded him in 1989, according to History.com estimates.
Among the country's oldest presidents are Donald Trump, who was 74 when he left office, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 70, and Andrew Jackson, who was 69 when he left the White House in 1837.
Despite a stiffening gait caused by spinal arthritis and a lingering cough, Biden's doctors delivered a six-page report later in the day on Friday attesting that the president is "fit to successfully execute the duties" of his position of high responsibility. However, voters' assessments of his health might become a liability for the Democratic Party.
With Biden's Vice President Kamala Harris experiencing even lower approval ratings amid recent rumours of her persistent problems in carrying out tasks assigned to her and allegedly troubled communication with other administration officials, perhaps the first woman in US history in such a high position, once considered the future face of the Democratic Party, will ultimately drop out of the race for the vacant seat, should Biden choose not to run again.
In the meantime, it seems that Biden's own chances for re-election are dwindling, given that in some polls, his rating has now dropped to 36%, a record low for the first year of presidential terms. These numbers are attributed to the many failures of the current administration, ranging from the outbreak of the Delta strain of COVID-19, the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan this summer, and the country's record inflation.